Article

Five more MMA turbines face review

An automated review of 17 proposed wind turbines at the Massachusetts Military Reservation flagged five more as a presumed hazard to aviation, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said yesterday. But when all is said and done, the reversal on those five turbines, which just one week earlier were considered OK, may be a mere blip on the radar screen, FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.

CAMP EDWARDS - An automated review of 17 proposed wind turbines at the Massachusetts Military Reservation flagged five more as a presumed hazard to aviation, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said yesterday.

But when all is said and done, the reversal on those five turbines, which just one week earlier were considered OK, may be a mere blip on the radar screen, FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.

Earlier this month, the FAA indicated that nine of the 17 turbines proposed by the National Guard were a presumed hazard to aviation or radar on the base at the proposed height of 400 feet, but could work at lower levels. But late last week that climbed to 14 out of 17 with little explanation for how things had changed so quickly.

Yesterday, Peters said a computer review of the FAA decisions indicated that the additional turbines were acceptable under visual flight patterns but might pose a risk when pilots have to use instruments to land. Under those circumstances, it means "less than ideal weather coming in," Peters said.

Massachusetts Military Reservation is home to Air Station Cape Cod, operated by the Coast Guard, and the National Guard, which uses Blackhawk... more [truncated due to possible copyright]

CAMP EDWARDS - An automated review of 17 proposed wind turbines at the Massachusetts Military Reservation flagged five more as a presumed hazard to aviation, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said yesterday.

But when all is said and done, the reversal on those five turbines, which just one week earlier were considered OK, may be a mere blip on the radar screen, FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.

Earlier this month, the FAA indicated that nine of the 17 turbines proposed by the National Guard were a presumed hazard to aviation or radar on the base at the proposed height of 400 feet, but could work at lower levels. But late last week that climbed to 14 out of 17 with little explanation for how things had changed so quickly.

Yesterday, Peters said a computer review of the FAA decisions indicated that the additional turbines were acceptable under visual flight patterns but might pose a risk when pilots have to use instruments to land. Under those circumstances, it means "less than ideal weather coming in," Peters said.

Massachusetts Military Reservation is home to Air Station Cape Cod, operated by the Coast Guard, and the National Guard, which uses Blackhawk helicopters as part of its training.

FAA's obstruction expert is in the process of re-evaluating whether those turbines, which are proposed at 400 feet, are really a hazard, Peters said. "It's just part of the process. We want to make sure that everything's OK," he said.

It's possible that the Guard will come up with ways to build all of the turbines, even some of the ones that are considered a hazard. FAA will work with and negotiate locations with the Guard, Peters said.

One of the five flagged last week is within 800 feet of an Air Force turbine. Construction of that 389-foot tower was completed just yesterday.

"That's considered an existing structure now," Peters said.

Guard officials are moving forward with their ambitious plans, spokeswoman Lynda Wadsworth said. A working group will meet next month to consider some of the issues raised by the FAA and how to proceed.

"We understand this is a process, and we want due diligence done when it comes to this," she said, noting that the military will conduct its own review to make sure building wind turbines doesn't jeopardize training of soldiers. "There's a lot to look at here."

Stay Updated

Contact Us

General Copyright Statement
Most of the sourced material posted to WindAction.org is posted according to the Fair Use doctrine of copyright law for non-commercial news reporting, education and discussion purposes. Some articles we only show excerpts, and provide links to the original published material. Any article will be removed by request from copyright owner, please send takedown requests to: info@windaction.org